Walk this Way Newsletter Spring 2022

Published: Mon, 03/21/22

Spring 2022 Edition

Welcome!

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) is pleased to present this Spring 2022 edition of “Walk this Way” - a bi-annual newsletter on walking and walkability. It is intended to serve as a community forum to support safe walking opportunities and to promote walkability for all of Maryland. We look forward to bringing you updates on new legislation, awareness campaigns, and important planning efforts, as well as helping to highlight great walking facilities and walk-focused events throughout the State.

This issue includes contributions from Peter Norton, Associate Professor, Department of Engineering and Society, University of Virginia and Rachael Habash, Chief Operating Officer, Walk with a Doc.

MDOT Active Transportation Website

Walktober Website

Walktober 2022

Preparations for WALKTOBER 2022 are underway! This year’s month-long celebration supporting walking and walkability will include four Walkinars with guest speakers and an opportunity to register a walk on Walk Maryland Day. Details are currently being finalized, so please keep an eye on the Walktober website for updates.

If you missed any of the Walkinars from WALKTOBER 2021, please check out our video library for recordings of the presentations.

If you would like to learn more about WALKTOBER or are interested in becoming a partner, please contact Francine Waters at fwaters@mdot.maryland.gov and visit our website by clicking on the button below.

Walktober Website

Greenbelt: How Maryland Set an Example for the Walkable Communities We Need

By: Peter Norton, Associate Professor, Department of Engineering and Society, University of Virginia

Today, car dependency is pervasive in America. Even in Greenbelt, walking is no longer ubiquitous. The casualties from traffic collisions are devastating, and so is the public health toll due to the effects of sedentary living. And though electric cars may be more sustainable than gasoline-fueled cars, sustainability will require less driving.

For health, affordability, inclusivity, and sustainability, walking must again become a practical means of meeting daily needs for millions more Americans. Fortunately, we don’t have to start from scratch. We have much to learn from a community in Maryland called Greenbelt.

To read the full article and to learn more about Greenbelt's history and how it set an example for more walkable communities, click here.

Walk with a Doc

By: Rachael Habash, Chief Operating Officer, Walk with a Doc

Walk with a Doc was started to “encourage physical activity and reduce the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.” While that is still true, we have found that the simple act of taking a walk together also has the power to transform lives and communities around the world. When we walk together, each step can bring us closer to truly understanding and appreciating each other as a global community.

Today, Walk with a Doc inspires communities through movement and conversation.

To read the full article and to learn more about Walk with a Doc and the benefits of walking, click here.

WalkCycle MD

Follow and like the WalkCycleMD social media pages to get the latest bicycle and pedestrian news from MDOT. Please send any pedestrian initiatives or news that you would like to see on the pages to fwaters@mdot.maryland.gov.